Join Us for a National Discussion on Government Websites!

Come one – come all! This is your chance to help the U.S. government figure out how to serve better, online. I told you a few weeks ago about the ground-breaking .Gov Reform initiative the White House and the General Services Administration have underway. In a nutshell, they’re taking a hard look at U.S. government websites and looking for ways to make them easier to use and more efficient and effective. And here’s the thing: they want you to be part of this discussion!

On Monday, September 19, at 2 p.m. ET, the .Gov Reform Task Force will open The National Dialogue on Improving Federal Websites. It will last two weeks, until Friday, Sept. 30. You’ll be able to access it at: http://www.usa.gov/webreform/dialogue.shtml.

You can toss in your ideas in 7 categories: content, search, usability, accessibility, social media, multilingual content, and online services. Each category has one or more “discussion catalysts” to stir the pot and keep things going; and Craig Newmark (yes – the Craig of Craigslist) and I are serving as “discussion catalysts” for the online services thread. We can’t wait to see what you have to say.

But let me warn you – whiners aren’t allowed to play. This isn’t a gripe session. This is a chance to float your ideas and join citizens, colleagues, advocates, authorities, and others in thrashing out ways the government can improve customer service through the web. If you don’t have any ideas to throw in, then just come and join the conversation.

At the end of the 2 weeks, the .Gov Reform Task Force will review all the ideas and comments and use it to draft new policies and strategies for federal government websites.

This is a huge opportunity to participate in reshaping the way the U.S. government works for you. I am so excited to debate my own ideas and learn from the rest of you. Please – don’t miss out. Remember: Monday, Sept 19 at 2 pm ET to Friday September 30. And follow the discussion on Twitter using hashtag #dotgov.